Maple Heroes, Risen and Awaken
by XPureSkyAriaX
Summary: The Heroes, reunited with Cygnus Knights, Resistance force, Heliseum force and... with the help of re-incarnated people, they step ahead for another day...
1. Prologue

**A.N. so, my first ever fan fiction! (I usually write my own stories so... xD) hopefully this is going to go well :D**  
**umm, i updated my fan fic cuz they seem to have errors- and it seemed to take time to uploade a new chapter. or is it only me?**  
**maybe i should stop using Google Chrome and try using firefox :L **  
**hopefully people can see what I don't- ;-; enjoy reading! ^^**

**I have put a link on my profile to my facebook page- please like (if you like the story :D)**

* * *

After the Black Mage was sealed by the Five Heroes of Maple World, the magical border that separated the Maple World from other worlds started to fade. After few hundred years since the Heroes have been sealed in the ice after sealing Black Mage, the ice which prisoned them started to melt. Only the Dragon Magician, Freud, was able to escape the sealing of ice by the protection of Onyx Dragon King, Afrien. However, even the Dragon Magician could not escape the grasp of death. Freud soon died, leaving his descendant and the Onyx Dragon King Afrien's egg due to the faded Blessing of Eternity from the young Emperess, Aria's death.

The First hero to wake was Phantom-the righteous and cunning thief, who was recruited last of all Maple Heroes. Though he was last to join the Heroes-he was the first to wake, fulfilling the Prophecy made by an ancient wise man whose name was forgotten.

The Second heroine to wake was Mercedes- the Queen of the Elves and legend to Maple World's archers. She was the fourth to join the Heroes-but was the second to wake, again fulfilling the Prophecy.

The Third hero to wake was Luminous-the one walking in Light. Though he was corrupted by Black Mage's Power, he soon learnt to control his power, and was the third wake, again fulfilling the Prophecy.

The Fourth hero to wake was Evan-The descendant of Freud, the Dragon Mage. Though he thought he was young and weak, the contract with Onyx Dragon King's descendant, Mir, awakened the Mage instinctive running in his blood. Though Freud, his ancestor, was second to join the heroes, his descendant Evan awoke fourth-again, fulfilling the Prophecy.

The Last heroine to wake was Aran-The wielder of the pole arm, the bravest and most powerful. Though she joined the Hero first, her memories were taken away from her-and was the last to awake, therefore fulfilling the whole Prophecy.

-The last shall arise first-cunning and righteous, the King of the Thieves,

The fourth shall arise next-graceful and courageous, the Leader of the Elves,

The third shall arise next-powerful but corrupted, the Master of the Mages,

The second shall arise next-pure and gallant, the Ruler of the Dragons,

The first shall arise last-merry and determined, the Wielder of the Pole arms.-

Now, more things are about to happen in Maple World and other Worlds; the awakening of the Heroes will once again reunite the Maple World…


	2. Chapter 1

**so i realised that my prologue repeated twice- Thanks to TheChewyyyX3 for letting me know :D**

**hopefully this is going to work- XD and i was wondering if you guys wanted me to put a link to some Maple BGMs so you guys can listen to it while reading-leave it on the review (comment box thingy) below ^^ hope you enjoy the story! ^^**

* * *

After few weeks the Heroes have awaken, the Magical border between Maple World and Nova's world, Pantheon, faded. Magnus, the corrupted Nova, betrayed Pantheon and joined the Black Wings, leading to Pantheon's Alliance with Maple World.

Kaiser, the Legendary Nova Warrior who was slain by Magnus' trickery, is reincarnated through a young Nova boy's body, Kyle.

Tear, a Nova girl born without tail or magic, tried to protect Pantheon's eastern relic and was bestowed with the power of Eskalade, an ancient dragon who lies inside the relic, is born as the idol of the war, Angelic Buster.

While the tension between Black Wings, Heliseum Force in Pantheon and Maple World was getting thicker, another magical border is disappeared.

The magical border that separated the human world from Maple World.

The fortunate thing was, only the few 'chosen' people is able to enter through the border to Maple World.

The first being a young man-bearing the resemblance of the Onyx Dragon Mage, Freud, and the second being a young girl-with the resemblance of one young woman whose name was forgotten due to her disappearance in Maple World.

Though they're still to enter the World of Maple and join this journey with the fellow Maple Citizens, The Heroes of the Maple World is getting ready for a war…

* * *

A young man with golden hair is sleeping on a luxurious bed. This place, radiating the feeling of superiority and power, is called Lumiere, the flying ship that one of the Heroes live in- The Master of the Thieves, Phantom. Though the outside appearance of this ship might make one feel pressured from its size and grandeur, you really never know what happens inside… :D and as I guessed, the inside of Lumiere is not peaceful at all.

BAM. The door opens and an old man with white hair came in. Gaston, the butler of Lumiere, was sealed together with the servants of Lumiere while Phantom's long slumber in the magical ice. However, unlike the Heroes, normal people aged. That counted Gaston as well. He was getting old. Too old for things like this. Especially when he had to wake up a 'Hero' who was young as his grandson, he could feel his patience gauge shotting up, making him shook with fury. (And the truth is, Gaston always regrets about choosing this job when he has to wake Phantom from his sleep. Poor Gaston.)

"Master, it's time to wake," Gaston ripped opened the curtains. Shining sunlight reflected the hero's golden hair.

"Nn….. I want to sleep mo-" *shooo* (and that's the sound of Gaston's patience gauge going up.)

Wham. Gaston started to hit his master's face with a pillow. "Ow, fine, fine! I'm getting up! I said, 'I'm getting up!'"

*rustle* Under the sparkling sunlight, the hero awakens. With feathers from the pillow floating in the air, the young man looks as if he's going to grow sets of feathered wings and fly out of the window-almost angel-like-

"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU WAKE UP SOMEONE WHO'S SLEEPING!? I hate you Gaston, I hate everyone else too! Tch."

-I cancel what I said. His personality is like... a kid. not even.

"Sun is almost in the mid-air. Do you know what that means? It's nearly 12 o'clock.; If a Hero is in a state like this while the Maple World is in-" Phantom holds his hand up to stop Gaston speaking. "I understand. So what happened while I was in my bed?" he speaks coldly, radiating power.

"Here…" An invitation. Phantom snatched the card from Gaston's hands and ripped it open.

-Master Thief Phantom, one of the five Heroes of Maple World-we need your help. As a known fact, the Black Mage is gaining power, along with the increasing number of the Black Wing's followers. I will be waiting in Ereve. Please, please help. I also want to listen to the story of Empress Aria-my ancestor and my aunt.

Signed, Empress Cygnus.-

It's an invitation written by the young Empress, Cygnus. Phantom's violet eyes doesn't seem to leave the invitation.

'Aria…' he speaks silently in his head. Of the name of a young Empress who gave her life in order to save the Maple World.


	3. Chapter 2

**So, I'm trying hard to upload one chapter per day- but it's pretty hard cuz like, I write my sotry in book-and then type it up. i dunno, that feels safer. XD Thanks to EVERYBODY who reads my fiction, I love you all. I shall give you a hug 3 **  
**hopefully my writing skills are going to improve as i write, cuz, I love writing. anyway, thanks again! **

* * *

Lie stares at his reflection in mirror. Tall height, pale purple-grey skin, blood-red eyes. The intricate purple pattern on his right cheek glowed faintly in the darkness. His long, magenta hair fell gracefully-anyone could clearly see that he had a handsome figure. Yet he despised his looks, the way he talked, the way he walked, everything about him. "Demia… mother…" he whispered silently, lifting his pure-red eyes in the night sky. He knew that the choice he made hundreds of years ago led to his family's death. He reminisced what happened that time-a memory that he never wanted to remember again. His memory as the 'Demon Slayer', one of the Commanders of Black Mage's Army, made his heart ache in cold pain…

* * *

"Mother! How is Demia?" Lie rushed in to Demia's room, panting slightly. "Lie…" his mother looked at him with teary eyes, trying hard not to cry. "No…" he breathed out a single word, and sat beside Demia's bed, where his younger sister lay, breathing in difficulty. "She's alive, but…" Lie's mother could not finish her sentence-she broke down and started crying sorrowfully. Time was running out. Lie was working hard to get money; everything he could do to help Demia's sickness getting better, but there was nothing he could do now. His sister, suffering pain as she tried to take one more intake of breath-was breaking their family's heart apart. The only choice he could make to get more financial help was… to become the Commander of one of Black Mage's army. He knew what he was doing was not right; yet he did not want to lose his dear sister. So his life as 'Demon Slayer' began, carrying out every command that Black Mage made.

"You will not hurt my family," Lie stated forcefully , in front of the throne of Black Mage. "Yes… yes… I will keep the promise…" The darkness sitting on the throne glowed with power, speaking with hoarse cackle. "Then I will serve you as your most faithful servant ever." Lie said again, bowing deeply. Then he left, walking with uneasiness.

_'Could I really believe him…?'_

He did not know. But money was important now. He needed more money for Demia's medications. And he thought all would end soon…

* * *

"WHY DID YOU DO IT!?" Lie screamed into the darkness, where two red eyes glowed; there was no reply. "I was only a tool used to play around in your false imagination, and from now on, I WILL RUIN EVERYTHING!" he jumped up, high as the ceiling. Flying swiftly by using his two strong wings, he smashed into Black Mage's throne. *cra-crackle-* The power of Demon Slayer overpowered the shield protecting the throne; he could see the shield crack. "Hiyah!" He attacked, hoping for it to reach the Black Mage. Instead, thick steel chain came hurtling at him-he was thrown to the ground. "Ugh.."

_'Is this the end…?' _he thought, staring hopelessly at Black Mage's fury.

'_Do I… do I have to fade away without accomplishing my revenge…?_' the thought of this made him lose temper. Demon Slayer ripped his pendant off from his neck, metamorphosing rapidly. The purple pattern on his right cheek glowed radiantly; he felt stronger. He tried to attack Black Mage-but only to feel weakness overwhelming him as soon as Black Mage touched him.

Then he fell-into the deep abyss of darkness… where he slumbered for hundreds of years.

* * *

When he woke up, he found himself in some kind of an egg; a machinery created by the evil scientist of the Black Wings, Gelimer. Lie soon was rescued by the member of Resistance, J. Since then, Lie has been fighting with Resistance from Edelstein to help the Maple World. Because nothing was left for him since his family was slain by the Black Mage, the only one thing he could do was… revenge. As Lie stared longingly at the night sky in loneliness, a purple cat entered through the window. "Commander Lie-Meow-!?" Mastema, the faithful servant of Lie meowed and hastily finished his sentence. Because Mastema lived in his cat form for a long time, meowing became his habit. Poor thing.

"Did you… just call me as 'Commander'…?" Lie spoke in cold voice. Mastema realised his mistake and started meowing urgently. "N-no! I didn't mean to say that-" Lie nodded. "If I hear another word called 'commander'…" The Sceptre, a weapon used by Lie, glowed strangely. "I will kill you without any hesitation." It was clear that Lie hated to be reminded of him being one of the most faithful servants of the Black Mage. Mastema bowed slightly. "Y-yes, I will never call you that, sir Lie…" then Mastema stood and left through the window. Lie was left in the darkness again-and he whispered softly to himself, "Black Mage… I shall kill you with my own hands someday…"

* * *

When Phantom arrived in Ereve, he found Neinheart waiting for his arrival. "Welcome, Phantom." Phantom held his hand up to stop Neinheart's speech. "Cut all the talking, and lead me to the Empress."

'That cockiness of him… -_-;;' Neinheart thought to himself. But no worries. "Follow me…" he said curtly and moved on. They soon reached to the garden where young Empress Cygnus and Shinsoo lay. Warm spring breeze brushed against Phantom's cheek. "Welcome, the Hero Phantom." Cygnus said in her unique misty voice.

"Ari-" Phantom stopped himself from saying more. 'No, this child is not Aria. Wake up, Phantom!' Cygnus was puzzled, looking at Phantom's face in curiosity. "Ari…?" she repeated what Phantom said, still asking for his answer. Phantom pressed his Raven Persona closer to his face, hiding his brilliant violet eyes. "No, it's nothing, Empress Cygnus… But what made you call me this urgently?" Cygnus stood up abruptly, startling Neinheart and Phantom. She held Phantom's hands eagerly, looking up at his eyes. Phantom was taken aback. "Em-Empress Cygnus…?"

"We need the heroes' help again!" she shouted eagerly. "I want to be help to the Maple World like my aunt Aria was! But… I need the heroes' help for that. So please… please help!" the young Empress' eyes watered. 'She's…. so like her…' Phantom's violet eyes wavered. He avoided Cygnus' eyes, and spoke. "What help do you need?" Cygnus' teary eyes lit up with joy. "So you will help!?" *drip* she began to cry in joy, her face widening in teary smile. "ugn… I'm so happy… and so relieved… " *sniff* Phantom spoke, wishing that he hadn't come in the first place. He hated the young Empress crying, especially when she resembled the previous Empress, Aria. "The Hero Phantom is at your service, Empress." Cygnus wiped her eyes and looked up. "Please… find the four other Heroes and reunite them together. I will be waiting at Ereve, searching for any other allies who might be eager to help us."

'This is going to be so bothersome…;;' Phantom thought, then looked at Cygnus' eyes. Oh well, he was going to end up listening to Cygnus anyway. "As you say, Empress." He bowed slightly, again hiding behind the shadows of his Raven Persona. The young Empress' face, clouded with anxiousness, clears up and soon begins to shed tears again in joy. "Thank you… Phantom… I'm really… – " Phantom kneels down, and places his finger on the young Empress' lips. "Shh," the Empress looks at Phantom's hidden face in shock. "Don't cry… smile. You look most beautiful when you smile…" the words he said to his lost lover, Empress Aria stumbles out of his mouth. He stands up, wiping Cygnus' tears. "Then, I shall be on my way!" he speaks rapidly, and his cloak embraces him, while magical cards swirl around him. "Wai-" *shoo-* cold wind whips Cygnus' hair around. When she opened her eyes, she found a silvery card on the ground where Phantom once stood-and when she picks the card up, she mumbles silently to herself. "Happiness…" the face of Cygnus, smiling brilliantly as a star, is graved on the card. She looked up at the blue sky, and whispered, "Thank you, Phantom…"

* * *

**not much fun there, huh? sorry, i suck ;-; I never really tried writing in English until my friends reccommended this site. I'm an amateur author in Korean websites, so... most of my fictions are in Korean. cuz that's my first language. but hopefully, more intense and fun things are going to happen in this fiction ^^I'm hoping that I won't really get any haters ;-; **

**but your reviews would be great to me. I would love more feedbacks from my readers so I can improve ^^ Thanks again, over and out.**


	4. Chapter 3

*shooo* after Phantom left Ereve, he soon arrived in Rien, home of Aran and Lilin.

"Hey Lilin-" Lilin closed her notebook and looked up. "Hello, Phantom," she said in her own quiet voice.

"Long time no see, huh? Anyway, do you know where Aran is?" he asked cheerfully. Lilin's face darkened. "I know where Aran is… but her condition right now…;" Phantom froze. He looked at Lilin's face, and found truthfulness in her eyes. "Lead on, my lady," he said. Though he did not show any change in his facial expression, he was anxious. *knock knock* "It's me, Lilin." She said. *creeak*

* * *

"Ahahahahahahahah….. Oh!? It's the ghost! Ghost~~! Eheheheh…." In the living room of Aran's house, Aran lay flat on the couch, holding what seemed like a bottle full of alcohol. The room showed pure chaos. Empty bottles, smell of strong alcohol… Despite the poor condition of the room, Aran was grinning widely like an idiot. Her long, silvery hair, tied in one ponytail, fell messily on her shoulders. Her tanned skin which used to glow radiantly looked dull. Her azure eyes shone brightly, but were unfocused-she was nodding slightly as if trying to reassure herself. "Aran…" Phantom said silently. He grabbed Aran's arms, and made her stood. "Hey, Aran, do you remember me? Wake up." Hiccupping, Aran lost her balance and nearly fell; if it weren't for Phantom, who held her shoulders steadily. "The pretty player boy…. HIC- right….? HIC- why is the ghost HERREEEEEEEEE!?" she screamed at Phantom's face and fell straight into Phantom's arms, where she lost consciousness. Phantom carried Aran into her dusty room-her roomed reeked with the smell of alcohol, too. After hours of cleaning with Lilin, Phantom sat down on the couch, looking into Lilin's eyes. "What made Aran like this?" She hesitated. "Th-That is…"

"Tell me RIGHT NOW!" Phantom's violet eyes were hard as stone-he looked as if he would murder someone. "You know the reason, Phantom… Why Aran's like that… you know everything…" Lilin's eyes started to fill with tears-she soon began to cry. "B-But… Aran's was fine! At least until—"

"She lost her memories, remember? Only Aran's memories were taken from her, and since she regained all her memories now, how would she be so cheery…?" Phantom was silent. He punched the wall, surprising Lilin. "Damn it…" They stayed sitting on the couch for what seemed for like hours. Then—"Ow, my head…;" she grimaced; then she saw Phantom. "Phantom! When did you—" he sighed. "I arrived here hours ago when you were totally drunk… don't you remember?" Aran froze, and exactly ten seconds after, her face reddened. After three seconds, she dashed into her room and closed the door with a loud BANG. "Oi, I came here to talk to you, you know?" Phantom sighed. "I-I'm not going to get out of my room!" Aran screamed behind the door. Phantom sighed again and used his skill to magically teleport behind the door where Aran stood. "Hey-" he grabbed her shoulder and Aran shook violently—something seemed wrong. "Ara-"

"Kyaahh-" Aran's hands blocked her ears, shaking her head. "N-No! Stop! Please! You can't—" Her desperate scream echoed in the house; Phantom clenched his hands in fist. She staggered back to the door, where she leaned against and sat down shakily. Her figure, small and frail in the dark, shaking in fear and crying as she cried, did not resemble the fierce Hero of the Maple World, but only looked like as if she was a mere child; a girl frozen in fear. Phantom squatted down, holding up Aran's chin with his finger. Aran, unable to make any sound while crying from the fear, was shedding shiny tears so round that it looked like a bright marble. She looked up into Phantom's eyes, her eyes full of fear.

"Look at me. Look at my eyes, Aran," Phantom whispered gently, calling Aran's name. "You remember, right? How you, me, Mercedes, Freud and Luminous had so much fun." Aran, hiccupping silently, looked into Phantom's eyes, her eyes full of uncertainty. But soon, her gaze dropped and hot tears began to come out, rocking her body. "Un—ugn—hic!" Phantom, looking at Aran with an expression hard to understand, took off his Raven Persona and softly placed it on her head, hiding her face behind the shadows. "It's alright. No one will be able to hurt you. I promise. I'll protect you." He spoke quietly, patting her head gently. Aran, frozen in one spot, did not stop to look up; she kept on shedding her silent tears. "ug… sniff—"  
"It hurts more not to cry loudly, you know? I wouldn't mind even if you cried out loud, so you can cry as much as you can…" he murmured gently. Then Aran looked up, her round eyes still shedding tears. "It's really alright, you can cry as much as you want—" even before he finished his sentence, Aran threw her arms around Phantom, her face hidden in his chest. Soon her sniff changes to wail-where she cried mournfully. "W-WAHH~" Phantom, silent as ever, hugs Aran back and pats her back gently in response; and the moon, silver and cold as ever, shines through the window, keeping Aran and Phantom in light.

* * *

"You will be alright… right?" Lilin asked anxiously to Aran, where Aran laughed out loud; her unique laugh which made the people smile in pleasant. "Ah~ Everything will be alright. Trust me, LIlin!" she reassured Lilin, again laughing to herself. "Y-you will come back… right? Don't leave me alone… Kay..?" Lilin's eyes soon fill up with tears, threatening to spill over. "I promise," Aran whispered softly. They lock their pinkies, smiling pleasantly to themselves. "Ready?" Phantom says, his cane ready at his side. "Yup!" he smiled sweetly; and—"To Elluel!" In the centre of the swirling cards, Aran and Phantom disappear; Lilin looks up the bright sky as the last of the cards disappear into the air. "Please… let them be safe…" She prayed silently, her hands clasped tightly.

* * *

"I wonder if that Phantom's fine- I didn't get to see him after Hilla made that upheaval at Ereve-" Mercedes mumbles to herself in her studies. "That bastard… he's at hot as he was back then when he's so old too… I was so delighted to see him, that I kinda screamed his name… but how dare he makes the Queen of the Elves scream like a mere commoner?! When I see that play—"

*shoo-* "Yo— Mercedes—" The door burst open, revealing Phantom and Aran. Mercedes stood up in shock- "Ph-Phantom!?"

"Long time no see, Queen." He says playfully, using his skill to magically appear behind Mercedes' back, pulling her hair. Aran ran into Mercedes, embracing her warmly. "Mercedes! I missed you so much~" Mercedes hugged her back, close to tears. "Are you okay, Aran?"

"I'm fine! But we don't have much time, so let's have a talk when we get back-"

"Back to whe—!?"

"To Lumiere!" Phantom hugged the two ladies from the back and chanted. The magical card immediately shrouded them, teleporting them to Phantom's flying ship. And so the Empress of the Elves was kidnapped by two idiots who were 'supposed' heroes.

* * *

Inside Lumiere

Mercedes looked at Aran and Phantom in bewilderment. "What's going—?"

"Mission 'Kidnap Mercedes' success!" Aran shouted. "We'll go in to details later. But Mercedes, I need to chat with you privately." Phantom beckoned Mercedes. She moved towards Phantom, ad then- *shoo* "Kya—!?" they disappeared in the midst of cards and teleported to the balcony; "You. Take care of Aran." He ordered quietly. "I'm going to leave Lumiere to find Evan. It won't take long but just in case." Mercedes nodded. "Phantom… don't push yourself too hard… kay?" he nodded. Phantom pushed his Raven Persona ; hiding his face. "I'm off, then." *shoo* Phantom disappear in the midst of glowing cards. "May Elluel's Blessing be with you…"Mercedes murmured. Her pale yellow-green hair danced around her from the wind.

* * *

Evan's Farm

Phantom walked to Evan's farm. Evan seemed like a normal teenage boy, but he was the descendant of Freud. His magical powers inside him awoke as he contracted with the Onyx Dragon King Afrien's descendant, Mir.

Evan was cleaning up the house when— *shoo* "Evan."

"Woahhhhhhhhh!" Evan Turned around, his eyes widened in shock. "Pha-Phantom… you scared me… "

[Phantom scared Evan! Mir will eat Phantom!] Mir, the young Onyx dragon chirped in Evan's head; circling around Phantom and Evan. He grinned. [You're probably going to get fried by Phantom, Mir. Stay put.] "Anyway, what brings you here, Phantom?"

"Time to save the world, Dragon boy. Let's go—" Evan's parents came near, their face pale. "It's an honour to see you, Hero Phantom, but what's going on?" Evan's dad asked gruffly. "I'm sorry, but it's time for Evan to take part in the Heroes' business…" Phantom bowed gracefully, his mysterious violet eyes glowing under the shadow of his Raven Persona. Evan's parents nodded, though their face was white from fear. "We'll be praying for you, darling." Evan's mum said, tears In her eyes. "Thanks mum-Thanks dad. And say good bye to Utah for me." He gave them a kiss-and they left; teleporting in the midst of swirling cards.

*shoo* "Phantom! You're back!" The two girls called out gleefully. He smiled back, melting their hearts. "I've told Luminous to meet us at Ereve conference hall. Shall we go now?" the three heroes nodded, and Phantom chanted, "To Ereve!"

* * *

*shoo* "You again." Luminous muttered, his face sour. Phantom slapped Luminous' back, making his red and sapphire eyes glow in anger. "Cheer up, Lumi."

"Don't you dare call me-"

"Welcome, Heroes." Cygnus entered, her white robe trailing behind her. "We've been waiting for you."

"Empress Cygnus." The Heroes bowed— except Phantom, who just nodded his head casually.

"Manners, Phantom. You're insolence is always the same." Neinheart spoke coldly. Cygnus held her hand up, stopping Neinheart. "As you can see, the Black Mage has been gaining more strength- and the magical border between Maple World and other Dimensions have opened, letting other world to join our fight as well." She paused, and continued. "I fear that Cygnus Knights won't be enough for stopping the arising of the Black Mage. I have asked the Resistance force in Edelstein to join the Maple Alliance, and I ask you the same, Heroes." The Heroes stared back at Cygnus, their face blank. Phantom opened his mouth. "I won't be tolerating with the Cygnus Knights nor the Resistance force. I'm not sure if the Heliseum force in Pantheon has joined hands with us as well, but I prefer working alone. I will join the Maple Alliance in one condition: I will not work with any others except with the four other Heroes."

"You ignorant, insolent—"

"Neinheart, please." Cygnus held her hand up once again; she looked at the other heroes. "We agree with Phantom, Empress." Mercedes murmured. The other Heroes nodded. "Understood." Cygnus said. "I will accept your condition-and I hope to see your works." Cygnus then stood up; and left the hall, with Neinheart trailing behind him. "Lilin would've killed you on the spot if she saw how you treated us—" Mercedes whispered in Neinheart's ear. His face flushed. "She cannot come to Ereve, however- and you will not treat the Empress with your insolent ways, Heroes." He left with his nose high in the air. Mercedes scoffed. "That jerk." They stayed seated. And then—

"Aah!" Cygnus' scream rang in Ereve; Phantom stood up and rushed out. "Cygnus!" she was on the ground, staring at the air-no, a shimmering veil floating in the midst of air. "What the hell—" *tinkle* soft tinkling was heard- and then—

A young man-no, a teenage boy materialised in the veil, astonishing the Heroes and Cygnus. "Whe-Where am I…?" he looked around, looking totally lost. "Is this…?" he muttered, with his storm-grey eyes swivelling around to check his surroundings. Phantom squinted. This guy looked familiar… the storm-grey eyes, messy ochre hair—and then it hit him- that this boy was—

"Freud!?" Phantom spoke out loud. The boy looked at him. "Don't tell me… I'm at Maple World?"

"You ARE Freud, right!?" Phantom shook him roughly. "N-no, I'm not Freud. I may look like him, but I came from another world—"silence. The Heroes stared at each other in complete horror. "You gotta be shitting me…" Phantom spoke out loud. "First Pantheon, Second that Japan world, and now what!?"

"C-calm down! The good news is-"

"There're no such thing called 'good news'!"

"Only I seemed to be able to enter that veil; no one else." That shut Phantom up. Cygnus shakily stood up; and she pointed at the veil again. "Look, Heroes." The veil shimmered again, and the Heroes tensed, ready for action. *THUD* "…" a girl, this time, looking quite young; appeared, and fell. "What the—" the girl shook her hair, dusted off her pants and stood. Phantom's eyes widened. "A-Aria?" a girl, resembling Aria, looked at the Heroes with her blank eyes. However, unlike Aria, her hair was pure black-almost like… the dark version of Aria, if she represented light. Her eyes, however; was blue as sapphire. "I don't believe this…" Phantom muttered. He hid underneath the shadow of his Raven Persona; the girl stayed silent. And then- "Is this Maple World?" the girl spoke; her voice empty and hollow, almost robot-like. The Heroes nodded. The veil disappeared; the boy looked around and cried, "No!" the Heroes, Cygnus, and the two people from another dimension looked at each other; unable to move nor talk.

* * *

A.N. Long time no see! I promised that I'll upload one chapter per day, but I got my laptop confiscated from my parents the day after i uploaded the previous chapter- asian parents FTW. :3

Thanks for the reviews, especially TheChewyyyX3 I love your reviews 3

and I also realised that my chapters were a bit too short compared to others- i wrote heaps more in this chapter cuz it's my comeback stage again 3 (nah just kidding. I doubt anyone waited for me to comeback. XD)

I'll be working hard to improve my fanfic-so leave reviews!

Thank you so much! :D

XPSAX


	5. Chapter 4

WARNING: this chapter contains some romance... i think.

if you don't like romance, feel free to go back and read other stories... I understand.

it also contains some bad languages (I felt bad writing them... typing them*)

leave reviews and I shall give you virtual hug 3

thanks again, and enjoy. :3

* * *

"Cygnus, we need to talk." Phantom said; the others looked at him, looking clueless.

"Wait, what the hell is going on!?" the guy who looks like Freud shouted, his face scrunched up in anger. "YOU DO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, RIGHT? YOU'RE THE PHANTOM, MASTER OF THE THIEVES—"

"Shut the fuck up." Phantom whispered. The atmosphere turned cold. "You don't know anything, fool. You're not Freud so you can't treat me like that as well. So keep your mouth shut."

"Freud, the Dragon Master, huh?" the boy murmured. The Heroes turned around. "How the hell do you—"

"Your world is only an illusion in our world, a virtual world." The boy muttered. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Andy. Call me Freud if you want-I don't care. But one thing you should know is, I know how things are working in this world. Probably that girl too. I'm not sure how the hell I'm going to help you guys, but don't just treat us like we don't exist."

Phantom's violet eyes glowed under his Raven Persona. "Alright, then. Do you know what's going on in this world?" he turned to the girl; she looked at him blankly. "Mercedes, Aran, Phantom, Luminous, Evan… the five Heroes of Maple World reunited again, huh?" she looked around. "How does it feel to see the world after hundreds of years of slumber, Heroes?"

"Protected by Empress Aria's Blessing—you ought to be shameful."

"Hey! What the hell are you—" Aran shouted, her eyes glowing. Phantom held his hand up.

"So, you do know something, do you?"

"More than you think, I guess." She shrugged, still expressionless. "and you shouldn't treat us this way- or at least, not to that boy." Seven pairs of eyes swivelled around to focus on Andy-his face flushed. "How do you—" Phantom started, only to be cut off by the mysterious girl again.

"Maybe, Freud's spirit reincarnated through him. Maybe, the young Empress Aria's spirit reincarnated through someone as well…" she trailed off, her azure eyes focused on Phantom. Her long, straight black hair waved from the air— silence fell.

"but hey, we can't have magical powers in our world—"

"but maybe we can find our powers in this world." The girl finished.

"Don't you need to go back to our world?" Andy asked again, his face expression blank. The girl's face hardened.

"No one wants me in their life. It's better for me to be stuck in this world rather than the other- I would prefer dying in this world, fighting like a hero." She paused. Then for the first time, she smiled ever so slightly, giving Phantom heartache. "Let me introduce myself. I am Einna, aged 16."

"Oh yeah and I'm 18." Andy butted in, grinning widely.

"It seems like you just joined the Maple Alliance…" Einna murmured, startling Cygnus. "How—"

"I have my ways, Empress Cygnus." She murmured softly; Cygnus' eyes wavered. "Could it be—?"

"Shh." Einna held her index finger near her lips, smiling again. Cygnus wavered again, and nodded. "Thank you," Einna whispered near Cygnus; she nodded again. "I think you might need some help from the reincarnated Freud, Heroes." She left the hall, leaving the Heroes and three others dumbfounded.

* * *

That night, all the Heroes slept at Lumiere; it was past midnight-and Phantom was out on his balcony, thinking hard. "Can't sleep, Master of Thieves?" jewelled cane materialised in Phantom's hand and swiftly, he lifted his cane and swung around-only to find Einna standing behind. "How did you—" she sat down beside Phantom, her black hair emitting a faint silvery-blue glow from the moonlight. "Let go of your hurt, your past and your pains, hero. You will never be able to grow."

"What do you know about me, anyway?" Phantom spoke bitterly, his face hidden behind his long golden curls. "What do you know about me, then?" Einna replied; startling him. "I don't know that much about you, Phantom-but I know more things than you know, no matter how young I am." Phantom bit his lips; silent. Then he opened his mouth, saying, "Are you the reincarnation of Aria…?" she smiled softly.

"I cannot answer you that, Phantom; but I don't think the last Empress would want you to lock yourself up and stay in the past forever." She murmured. "It's up to you whether you choose to live to the future or live behind your past; you will find out whether if I'm the reincarnation of Aria or not by yourself." She rose silently; she took her nightgown off and wrapped Phantom around it, smiling softly. "Excuse my intrusion…" she quietly exited; and then—

*grab* *whoosh* Phantom grabbed Einna's arm and spun her around, embracing her. "What are you—" Einna spoke urgently; Phantom embraced her more tightly; making her to stay quiet. "Let's stay like this… Just for few minutes…" Phantom lowered his head Einna's hair; inhaling her scent. "You do know that I'm not Aria, yet you…?"

"I wanted someone to come for me, to say those things…" he murmured softly, still snuggling at Einna's hair.

"I'm glad I was able to play that role…" she murmured. 'And I also wish someone would say those things to me as well, to get me out of this abyss…' she thought silently; she felt her eyes getting hot; and she pushed him away—

"What's wrong?" Phantom's violet eyes stared into Einna's blue eyes—she turned away, quickly wiping her eyes. "Are you—"

"It's late. You should go sleep. We have the main conference with the Maple Alliance, don't we? Resistance force, Heliseum force, and Sengoku force will come to Ereve tomorrow. You're the leader—get some sleep." She spoke coldly—Phantom's face, usually expressionless, darkened; "Did I do something wrong—"

"No," she cut him off, not meeting his eyes. "It's my fault. I'm just feeling a bit tired… and you should go to sleep as well, so…" she trailed off. Phantom nodded. He took the nightgown that Einna gave to him—and wrapped it tightly around her. "Sleep well, Phantom." She whispered. "Sweet dreams…" he replied, escorting Einna to her room. She closed the door, Phantom waiting behind the door for her to close it. She turned around, and her back leaning on the door, she collapsed on the floor-stifling her sob. 'I hate being alone…' her memories messed up in her head; making her remember her past, and the world she used to live in. The softly glowing silver of the moon shone upon Einna; embracing her. The night deepened, and both Phantom and Einna hardly got any sleep.

* * *

"We're going to be late to the conference!" Luminous shouted, his face showing pure fury. "Mmmh… it doesn't really matter, you know… let the commoners wait." Phantom muttered; his hair still messy.

"Phantom," Einna spoke sternly. "you have to be punctual on time- let's go." She dragged Phantom by his hand to his room, shoving him in, closing the door. "I won't let you out if you don't get changed!" she shouted. The other heroes looked at Einna-she smiled softly, making them smile as well.

"I never knew Phantom could've been tamed by a girl…" Evan murmured, dumbfounded.

"Hey, Einna! Did you get any sleep yesterday? You look pretty tired." Andy asked, grinning. "Oh, yes… thanks for asking, though. How are you finding yourself in Maple World? Do you feel anything different?"

"Nahhh, not really. I wish I can be any kind of help to them…" he muttered.

"Nothing to worry… I'm pretty sure you'll be able to help them." Einna quietly murmured, barely audible.

"Hmm? Did you say something?" he asked, frowning.

"Nothing," was her answer; and then—

"Finished." Phantom was in front of them, wearing the blue Raven Persona. "Let's go then…"

"To Ereve!" he shouted, cane lifted high in the air- and they were whisked to Ereve.

* * *

"You're late." Neinheart muttered; his face expression hard. "Neinheart, please!" Cygnus pleaded and his face expression softened. "Of course, my lady…" Cygnus Knights, Sengoku force, Heliseum force and the Resistance force were seated on the elegant chairs- their expression showing different emotions: anger, nervousness, weariness and so on.

"New recruits, Phantom?" Elex grunted; Claudine, hidden behind the mask, was silent. Black Jack, The Wild Huntress Belle' jaguar, growled in alarm; its eyes glowing. Brighton and Checky was interested in the surrounding of the conference hall rather than the conference itself. "Not exactly recruits; but we will be working with them." Phantom spoke. Cygnus held her hand up, silencing everyone; and she opened her mouth, speaking quietly.

"You all know that our worlds are in danger from the threats of the Black Mage, I assume." The Resistance force from Edelstein frowned. "We all know who the hell Black Mage is— and the Black Wings, the fuc—"

"Elex, control your emotions." Claudine scolded. Elex shut his mouth.

"As you can see, three magical borders have weakened due to the rising strength of the Black Mage—"

"I thought it was only two, us Pantheon and the Japan-world." Kaiser, his voice deep and resonant, spoke up.

"Another border just spat these two people out only yesterday, Kaiser." Phantom said. Kaiser nodded.

"I see."

"At this rate, more borders will weaken- which means many other worlds will get involved in this fight. The situation now is bad enough; I think it's time for the Maple Alliance to stand up and take some actions." Cygnus continued.

"We have nothing to do with the Black Mage, however; we don't have to take any responsibility for what happens in the Maple World." Kanna spoke up. Hayato nodded. "Our aim is to save the Hime sama- and defeat the evil exorcist, Mori Ranmaru."

"Do you think that the Black Wings will let you go so easily…?" Einna, who stayed silent, spoke up. Everyone looked at her. Her face flushed, but she continued, forcing her words out of her mouth. 'I really hate speeches…'

"Black Mage isn't the type of person-strike that, he's not even a human being- he's aim is to destroy everything on Maple World which oppose him. That counts the Sengoku force, too…" her eyes glowed mysteriously.

"Black Wings are still looking for their victim; with the evil scientist Gelimer looking for more humans to experiment on. Do you really think that Sengoku will be safe from their hands?" a soft glow started to emit from her body; but she didn't realise. "The last Empress of the Maple World, Empress Aria, gave her life in order to save the Maple World. This is why the Sengoku force is able to stay in this world, waiting for revenge. The citizens of Edelstein, who had nothing to do with Black Mage, were persecuted by the Black Wings-and they still are getting persecuted. That's why Resistance formed." She paused and looked around. Hayato was nodding; Kanna looking unsure.

"Magnus, the fallen Nova, joined Black Mage shortly after the border to Pantheon weakened. He is now officially, one of the Commanders of the Black Mage. Evil is attracted to another evil- and I believe Mori Ranmaru will also join the Black Mage in certain circumstances."

"But—"

"Kanna, enough." Hayato murmured. Kanna stayed silent.

"We will accept the alliance with the Maple World, however; if the Maple World betrays us, we will repay back in most evil way possible—"

"Silence, young samurai." Einna spoke- Hayato looked at Einna as if she was mental. Her features still glowing, she closed her eyes… then—

"I am Empress Aria, the forgotten." Her voice echoed- Cygnus and the others' eyes widened. "Hundreds of years have passed, yet my world still struggles to unite…" she opened her eyes abruptly, her eyes glowing bright. Her hair began to lighten from the roots of her hair to pale-blond colour.

"My spirit lies within this girl, and I'm watching you, Heroes." She looked around the conference table, contacting her eyes with each one of them. "Though I cannot reincarnate fully, the spirit of this girl accepts me to take control of her body sometime, letting me to communicate with you all. However, this will be the first and the last for me to communicate with you personally—"

"B-but... Aria!" Phantom stuttered, his face pale. His violet pupil dilated.

"I'm sorry, Cygnus, for leaving you with such burden…" Empress Aria touched Cygnus' cheek gently- Cygnus bit her lip, fighting back her tears. "and I'm sorry, Phantom, for leaving you alone… but now you have someone by your side…" Phantom shook his head, angry. "I don't have anyone but you!"

"I was with Einna last night…" she murmured softly. His eyes widened. "You're a foolish young man—you want someone to be by your side, yet you don't hear others screaming as well…" the others spectated at the two lovers with curiosity. "She may look different compared with me, and her personality, too. But I believe that she'll be able to heal you… something that I wasn't able to do last time." She closed her eyes again, the soft glow growing fainter.

"It's time…" the Empress sighed, her hair turning darker from pale blond to pure black. "Keep the Maple World safe, my heroes… I believe in you…" with the last comment, Einna collapsed, unconscious. Phantom caught her just in time; his expression hard.

"I believe that Empress Aria has said everything," he stated. "I will be leaving the conference now; if you have anything to say, tell me tomorrow." He turned to Cygnus, who had tears in her eyes. "Cygnus, let us adjust another conference for tomorrow." Cygnus nodded, wiping her tears. "We shall meet again tomorrow-and plan what we should do." With that, she rushed out of the hall, eyes red.

* * *

"This is so not going according to my plan…" Phantom muttered, carrying unconscious Einna bride-style. The other heroes followed behind, looking quite anxious. He said, "To Lumiere!" dully, the usual mischievous sparkle in his eyes gone…

* * *

"Did anything happen to our master?" Gaston asked to the heroes as Phantom entered Einna's room carrying her. But none replied. "What happened?" he repeated. Still no reply. "Gaston… you do remember Empress Aria, right…?" he flinched when Mercedes mentioned the young Empress' name. "Could it—"

"She reincarnated through that girl's body; only that the Empress decided never to show up in front of Phantom through the girl."

"What the hell?" Gaston said aloud— the others looked back at him, astonished. Gaston never said those kind of stuff. He coughed few times and bowed. "Thank you for telling me…" he left the hall, leaving them alone. Silence fell. Aran and Mercedes looked worried; and Aran murmured to herself, "Poor Phantom…" Mercedes nodded, her face expressionless. The four heroes sat there with Andy; as the night sky darkened.

* * *

**A.N** **I reaslised that there were few mistakes in this chapter- fixed. :3 **

**Hopefully I can upload another chapter today or tomorrow- but I have social (like prom in USA) tomorrow so... ;w; save meee**

**Poor Phnatom. but at least he has Einna :3 **

**my class is about to start so... **

**ja ne! **


	6. Chapter 5

**WARNING: some swears are contained :L **

**bit of romance too. :3 **

* * *

"Einna," a soft voice rang- and she turned around to find the last Empress. "Empress Aria!"

"Shh, lowever your voice, my child."

"You shouldn't have…"

"It doesn't mean I'll never get to see him again, Einna." Aria glided towards Einna.

"But he loves you, Empress. And you love him too, right…?"

"It's time for me to let him go now… he cannot stay in past forever." She smiled sadly.

"I won't be able to do anything for Phantom, though…" Aria shook her head.

"You have more potential than me… and I believe in you."

"Will you stay in my body and coexist with my spirit? Or… are you going to leave me…?"

"I will stay with you until you gain your power—but I will leave you when it's time."

"But—"

"I believe in you, Einna…" the Empress' feature began to glow, and she started to fade.

"I believe in you…" her voice echoed, leaving cold breeze to swirl around Einna.

* * *

*gasp* Einna's eyes snapped open; she sat up, her forehead beaded with sweat. "How are you feeling?" she turned around, and found herself nose to nose with Phantom. "…" she stood up from her bed and stepped away from him. "…What happened?" she asked. She remember everything-but it seemed appropriate to act like she doesn't, considering Phantom's condition at the moment.

"You're… the reincarnation of Aria, it seems." He muttered. "but you're not Aria. She coexists with your spirit within your body…" Einna, who sat back down, stood back up and stormed out of her room. Phantom called out, "WAIT!" but she didn't stop. She ran up the stairs, out on the highest balcony of Lumiere, where the silver moon was shining high in the sky.

*grab* "What are you—"

"Leave me alone!" Einna screamed, startling Phantom.

"You only love Empress Aria. You're just talking to me because I am the reincarnation of the last Empress!" she panted, her pale face tinged with pink.

"No, it's not—"

"DO NOT LIE TO ME, PHANTOM!" she lost her control-she was screaming on top of her lungs. "You expect someone to come for you, when you never listen to the others' despairing cries. You're an ignorant fool." She tried to leave, but Phantom wouldn't let go of her.

"Let go of me!" his grasp on Einna's wrist tightened. "It's hurts, let me go!" she struggled; tears welling up in her eyes.

"…What are you hiding?" he murmured. Her eyes widened.

"Why are you hiding?" he asked another question.

"Don't act like you know everything—"

"I NEVER SAID I KNOW EVERYTHING!" Phantom shouted, his eyes showing the pain, the hurt.

"I don't care if you're not Aria. I know that she won't see me no matter how hard I try. That's why—" he loosened his grasp on Einna's wrist, his violet eyes wavering. "—I need you, Einna…"

"You're only choosing me because you can't see Aria," she spoke harshly, the tears on her eyes already dried up.

"I don't believe what you say…" she trailed off, turning her gaze away from Phantom. "And I will never believe you…" Phantom lowered his head, his face expressionless. "…unless you convince me." His head perked up. Silence fell.

"Please excuse me…" she left, leaving Phantom on the balcony by himself. He looked up in the night sky, his eyes wet. "Aria…" he murmured. Cold breeze brushed his cheek, cooling the warm tears on Phantom's cheek. "What should I do…?"

* * *

Ereve Conference Hall

"I will not force any of you to sacrifice yourself to save Maple World." Cygnus said, looking up from her seat. "I want the each forces to defend their town for now, until a severe incident occurs. Understood?"

"The Maple Heroes will stay in Victoria Island, since Phantom has Lumiere. He will be responsible for all the Heroes." She continued on; the Heroes nodded.

"Understood." Phantom said.

"I will send our Cygnus Knights to different regions of Maple World- they will take care of most small incidents." The five Captains of Cygnus Knights nodded.

"We will serve you, my Lady." Mihile the Dawn Warrior spoke; the others nodded.

"Kaiser, Angelic Buster, I leave Heliseum force to you; protect Pantheon, and if you need any help, I will send my people in."

"Understood, Empress Cygnus." Deep, resonant voice of Kaiser and melodic voice of Angelic Buster harmonised.

"Kanna, Hayato, save your Princess— defeat Mori Ranmaru as fast as you can, so he won't corrupt in this land, succumbing to the Black Mage."

"Hai." Hayato bowed; Kanna stayed silent, her face hidden behind her fan.

"For the moment, we will finish our conference—" Cygnus sighed, rising from her chair—

"Who said?" a deep voice rang inside the hall; the members of the Maple Alliance rose from their chair, searching for the voice.

"This voice… It's…" Phantom murmured, massaging his temple; and his eyes snapped open, and he shouted, "DEMON SLAYER! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Einna's eyes widened. "Demon Slayer…?" she murmured to herself. The members of the Alliance stood up, ready for action, their weapon at ready.

"No!" Einna stopped the members, panting slightly. "He's… now our ally." Their eyes widened.

"What the fuck?" Elex said, clueless.

'I thought that Demon Slayer was saved by 'J', the member of Resistance… maybe it's a bit different from the game…' Einna thought, sighing.

"Demon Slayer, show yourself now! I'll convince them no matter what—" her speech was cut off short by the rushing of the wind- he had landed beside Einna, his tall feature cowering over her.

"Smart choice, my lady." He bowed at Einna-she nodded.

"He has been betrayed by the Black Mage as well, so please don't treat him as the commander of Black Mage." She explained; but the members of alliance still didn't believe. She sighed again.

"Luminous, do you remember the day when you sealed the Black Mage?" she turned to Luminous; his red and azure eyes glowed. "Of course, my lady."

"Do not address me as 'Lady', Luminous. Don't you remember the Demon Slayer lying on the floor, unconscious?"

"I—" his voice faded off, unsure. "Please, you need to remember it!" she pleaded, holding on to Luminous' hands.

"Yes… Yes! I remember him, his clothes torn off to pieces near the Black Mage's throne—" he spoke up. However, the members of the Maple Alliance still did not believe.

"I'll vouch for him." Einna spoke up, startling them. "What the fuck?" Elex repeated again, the same dumbfounded expression on his face. Belle whacked him on the head, telling him to watch his language.

"If he joins us, he will be a great help to us. If you can't trust him, trust me. Please, I beg you." However, the same hard expression was left on Cygnus Knights and Resistance.

"I vouch him with my life." Einna spoke; people stared at her as if she was crazy. "What the fuck?" Elex, for the third time, repeated. "If Demon Slayer betrays us, you can kill me." Demon Slayer's eyes twitched; he stopped Einna from speaking more; and he opened his mouth.

"The Black Mage has betrayed my trust and destroyed my home town." The members didn't really pay attention, except the heroes. "he killed all my family; breaking the promise he made with me. When I woke up, I was in the Black Wings' lab-where Gelimer was experimenting on me. Black Mage and his followers have already betrayed me few times; now it's my turn to revenge. Let me join and I will make up to it."

"Bullshit!" Elex yelled; Belle smacked him again; silencing him.

"I vouch for him as well." Mercedes spoke up; Demon Slayer's eyes widened. "I think, that vouching of him by the reincarnation of Empress Aria and the Empress of Elves is enough," she continued, forceful. "We, the Heroes, will accept him as our allies- if the other members of the Alliance won't accept him as our allies, we will; is that clear?"

Silence fell. No one replied.

"Is that clear?" Mercedes repeated; the members nodded assent.

"Very well, then." Cygnus stood; "we will finish our Conference today. You may go back to your towns, regions; if we're holding another conference, I will make sure that everyone gets invited." The members nodded.

* * *

"Thank you, Lady Einna," Demon Slayer held Einna's hand and kissed it gently; Phantom's violet eyes glowed dangerously. "It was my pleasure. You should go thank Mercedes as well, Demon Slayer."

"Lie…" he murmured.

"Your name, right…?" Lie's eyes widened.

"How—"

"But your name holds too much pain…" she whispered, looking into Lie's scarlet eyes; "Why do you call yourself as 'Lie'? You're more truthful than the most people…" Lie stood up in full height; Einna looked up into his eyes; her face expression calm. Lie embraced Einna; and quickly let go. "Thank you, my lady…" he said, and left the hall, to go to his room. Einna smile sadly, looking as he left. Phantom grabbed Einna's wrist roughly—she turned around, surprised, almost scared. "What are you—" her speech was cut by the loud roaring of a dragon; Einna rushed to Andy's room, and…

"Andy!" they found Andy on the floor, looking surprised. He had Mir in his hands; with Evan sitting on the bed, laughing. "Mir likes Andy for some reason—maybe he is the reincarnation of my ancestor, Freud." He said; his emerald eyes sparkling. Einna smiled warmly. "You will find out more soon…" she murmured quietly. Evan looked into her eyes; looking like an excited puppy.

"I believe in you, Lady Einna!"

"I told you not to address me as 'Lady', didn't I?" she laughed gently, ruffling Evan's hair. She had to tiptoe to reach Evan's hair, for he was taller than her- but Evan grinned.

"I wish we can live altogether like this~" Evan sighed. Einna left the room to go to her room, letting Mir do whatever he want to Andy.

* * *

"Lady Einna!" Gaston called out, his white hair ruffled a bit. "Good evening, Gaston." Einna smiled pleasantly; Mercedes and Aran trailed along, chatting happily. "Forgive my rudeness, but—" Gaston bowed, his eyes sparkling. "please take care of our master…" Mercedes and Aran stopped in their tracks, frozen. "Why does Einna have to take care of Phantom!?" Mercedes shouted, her eyes sparkling. "Phantom can take care of himself; Einna can enjoy life on Lumiere with us~" Mercedes and Aran each grabbed Einna's hand and pulled her into their room, giggling slightly.

* * *

"So, Einna, tell me how the other world is like!" Aran said eagerly; her azure eyes sparkling.

"It's… more peaceful than the Maple World…"

"I knew that!" Mercedes and Aran shouted, giggling.

"But there are more betrayals, lies and sadness."

"I see…" Mercedes murmured. Einna nodded, smiling sadly.

"Tell me more about yourself, Einna." Mercedes said, smiling gently.

"I—"

"Don't worry. I've lived few hundreds of years, you know." Einna laughed gently at Mercedes' comment.

The sun set slowly over their windows, embracing them in warmth.

* * *

It was night. Einna went on the Balcony; breathing in the cold night air.

"My Lady, why are you out in the cold!?" Lie's surprised voice echoed in the cold air- she turned around.

"I like to stay alone at night, you see." She smiled softly. Lie looked away from Einna, embarrassed.

"I'm… I'm very sorry about the incident earlier today, my lady—"

"It's alright… I exist to heal." Her lonely voice trailed off—Lie walked beside Einna, taking his coat off. They stayed silent for few minutes, not talking.

"My Lady, I…"

"Lie," she murmured; he looked up, startled. "Do you like your name…?" she asked, her hair waving in the air.

"I chose to have that name, my lady. But now I despise it; so much that I can—"

"Leo."

"Excuse me?"

"You have the heart of a lion- you're brave. You're a warrior."

"I-I'm flattered, my lady."

"Leo will be your name from now on;" she turned to face Leo; he tried to step away from her; but she held his hands; not letting him to move away.

"Live up to your name. Become a warrior that nobody would be able to stop; fight for the good, not for the evil." She continued, looking into his eyes. "You have chosen the wrong path last time, but now you won't— you have learnt your lesson, right?" he nodded, looking embarrassed.

"My Lady, would you let go of—"

"Stop calling me 'my lady'!" she said, looking annoyed.

"But—"

"You don't have to be so formal in front of me. I have a name, you know."

"Lady Einna— you need to let go of me—"

"But you're trying to run away from—" her words were cut off; Leo had kissed her.

His hand reached for her cheek, with his other strong arm embracing Einna tightly. She struggled; then—

*BAM* Phantom kicked Leo on his side, breathing heavily. Leo groaned, and took his hands off Einna- Phantom's violet eyes were darker than usual-glowing fiercely. Einna's eyes widened. "Phantom—"

"Get your fucking hands off her, you bastard."

* * *

**A.N. Wooahhhhh Leo what the hell are you doing you're supposed to go date M- Smack ...sorry.**

**um, more swear words, I still do feel bad typing them, but it seems appropriate to put it in... :L **

**I'm getting more views! omgsh i love you guys ;w; **

**please leave a review, the author feeds off from reviews... :3 **

**next chapter will most likely be the story about Einna's past, so tune in! **

**(my friends are nagging at me from the side asking me why I need to write fanfics or my own stories because they're too excited for the social... someone kill me now.) **

**anyway, thanks for reading my fanfic :3 I shall give you a warm hug when i ever get to see any of you irl... you're not an idol like Angelic Buster you stupid girl.**

**that was Cartallion. XD nah im just being stupid :3 hope you guys will enjoy~ **

**ja ne!**


	7. Chapter 6-Einna's Story

**This Chapter is about Einna- and it was written to fill in the gap from the last chapter where she was dragged to Mercedes' and Aran's room to have what is commonly called as 'girl talk.' :D**

* * *

Einna's Story

I learnt that my parents adopted me when I was 7, due to the fact that I had blue eyes when both my parents didn't. Because I was born early of the year, I had to join school when I was 7, when normally you start school at 8. I was bullied as soon as I set my foot in the school-they were telling me why I was here when I'm a year younger than them, and that they didn't want me to stay in their class. At the age of 10, I moved to Australia- but when I went to Australian school, they told me that I had black hair and I didn't belong.

I didn't belong anywhere.

I was an outsider.

By the time I graduate primary school, I was to be separated with the few friends I had.

At the first day of the high school, people asked me who I was, whether Asian or European.

I couldn't answer their questions.

By the time I was 15, I learnt how I had to lie in order to survive.

My smile was a mask I wore to lie to people—I had no 'true' friends.

I was alone.

My role as a 'friend' was to listen to their story only when they needed help, so I can understand how they feel.

So I can say nice things at them, comforting their weary hearts.

I like my role.

But the fact that I could understand people so easily when they cannot—

It hurts.

I began to think of suicidal, and how people would react when they would receive the news: that I have died.

I hated my life; being alone was painful—yet I didn't want to become closer with people and get betrayed again.

Then I found a world—a game that I could play- Maple Story.

I was an archer, than a mage, than a warrior-

People in the Maple World, were far nice to me than the ones I have met in real life.

How I wished I could be in the virtual world rather than the reality!

And then I was in the Maple World-where people welcomed me in warmer fashion-

I was no longer alone.

But the fact that Phantom was talking to me because I was the 'reincarnation' of the last Empress, Aria.

It reminded me of the bad things that I experienced back in my world, and it wasn't nice.

If I wasn't the Last Empress' reincarnation… what would've happened?

Would he treat me the same?

Or would he treat me as a mere girl, calling me as the 'commoner'?

I don't know.

I feel lost, almost scared now—was it lucky for me to come to this place?

Or should I go back no matter what…?

The feelings that I had when I first had, are now gone—

I still don't belong anywhere.

And I wish someone would understand me at least this time…  
instead of me understanding others.

Because it hurts.

The fact that I will never stop understanding others' feeling without trying won't change…

No matter how harsh they were to me, I will feel sympathy for them—

And the fact that no one will understand me unless I tell them what I feel—won't change…

…will I ever get out of this abyss…?

Will someone pull me out…?

The mask I wear, a fake smile—will someone see through…?

I'm screaming in the darkness; but no one can hear me…

Save me…

.

.

.

Please…

* * *

**A.N. so, not really happy, right? **

**This story is rather depressing, and also, emotional-but i shall make it happy again by uploading another chapter soon :D **

**Enjoy the story of Einna the F_ A_. (anyone who guesses this right will get a special treat... :3)**

**Like my facebook page if you liked the story-i shall put a link on my profile. :3 **

**Thanks again for reading, I love you all 3 **

**-XPSAX-**


	8. Chapter 7

"Get your dirty hands off her, you bastard." Phantom repeated, his breathing ragged. Leo staggered, clutching his side.

"That hurt, you thieving rat." He glared at Phantom; his eyes glowing red. Phantom's eyes glowed violet in contrast-darker than usual. Einna, stuck between the two young men- were surprised, almost scared; her eyes wide-her pupils dilated.

"How dare you touch her—" Phantom growled, only to be cut off by Leo.

"You do not deserve her." Leo muttered, his eyes still focused on Einna. Phantom snickered.

"So the past commander of the Black Mage thinks that he's better than the Hero of the Maple World?" a cane, luxuriously decorated with colourful jewels, materialised in Phantom's hand- a deadly Sceptre materialised in Leo's hand, too; they were ready to attack—

"Stop!" Einna spread her arms wide apart; standing between the two young men.

"Get out of my way, Einna-"/"Lady Einna- you'll get hurt—"

"Just stop already!" she screamed again, her face flushed; she panted—her eyes tearing.

"I do not want to see you two fighting; leave the balcony and leave me alone." She said; her face expression cold.

"Why—"/"Understood, my lady…" Leo bowed slightly and left the balcony while Phantom protested. Einna turned around, staring into Phantom's eyes. His darkened violet eyes' glowing ceased, reflecting the silvery moon on the sky.

"What am I to you?" Einna asked; her voice hollow. She closed her eyes; she could hear them so clearly…

[Einna knew that her uncle was hanging out with the 'dodgy' people. He was rich-and it made those trashy flea-like jerks cling on to him for money, telling him sweet lies, deceiving him. Her parents had told him- 'they're dangerous, please, don't hang out with them.' But it was too late; he didn't want to hear the painful truth.

Her parents didn't know that Einna knew what was going on. They didn't want her know. But she knew. It made her shake with fury. She promised revenge to those trashy money-eating jerks who didn't want to work on their own to gain money but to use her uncle.

And then it happened.

"I love you-" the slut whispered in her cousin's ear-she was the daughter of one of the most trashy people. "God told me that I should marry with you…"

Lie. Einna was Christian; the slut was, too. She used God's name; to make the fool fall for her.

"She's using you," Einna told him; but it was no use…]

"You're only using me…" she whispered. His eyes saddened.

"What made you like this?" he asked, stepping closer to Einna.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, hiding her surprise.

"You told me that I was a fool for wanting someone in my life, but not understanding others' feeling." He looked straight into Einna's eyes; she looked away. "You wanted to tell me something— but I don't know what." He murmured gently, reaching for Einna's cheek. She broke free of his grasp; expressionless. Without another word, she ran down the stairs; her footsteps echoing. Phantom didn't bother to chase her this time—he looked at her silhouette, and sighed.

Einna entered her room; panting slightly. She closed the door and sat on her bed; silent tears running down her cheek. She buried her face into her hands; unable to sob. She hated herself for being like this.

_Why can't I be braver?_

_Why can't I forget the past, when I tell the others to live to the future?_

_Why am I such a scaredy cat?_

_Why can't I admit that I want someone in my life, too, rather than acting like I don't need anyone…?_

Her tears won't stop;

It will never stop.

Before dawn, Einna asked the Captain to drop her off at Edelstein, the home of the Black Mage; where the HQ of Resistance was. She did not look back; she only looked at what lays at the front.

"Hello, Claudine," Einna said; the Resistance members looked surprised.

"How did you—"

"I was wondering why you acted like you didn't know Lie-or rather, Leo now." Claudine's eyes widened.

"How did you—" she repeated again, only to be cut off by Einna.

"I told you- I have my ways."

"We decided to test him- to see how he will react to the others' reaction to him."

"I see…" Einna looked into Claudine's eyes, hidden beneath her mask. Claudine looked away, uncomfortable.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Still guilty about Xenon… right…?"

"How did you—" Claudine stopped herself and invited Einna deeper into the HQ to talk seriously.

Meanwhile in Lumiere

"Hey Einna—" Aran opened Einna's room's door, only to find empty bed. Her bright azure eyes widened- and she ran into Phantom's room, panicking.

"Phantom! Einna-Einna's gone!" Phantom's eyes widened- his hair; wet from shower; glistened in the sunlight. He clenched his hands into tight fists-and he rushed outside to the hall.

"Einna's gone— you guys probably heard that few minutes ago, right?" the others nodded at Phantom's words-they, too, were worried. "Aran-let's work as pairs…" Mercedes murmured anxiously. Aran nodded beside her. "Evan, you're with me." Phantom said, pointing his cane in Evan's direction. "That leaves you and me—" Luminous walked towards Andy; whose face was frozen.

"I'll work alone." Leo stated, his face grim. Phantom didn't reply. He only glared at Leo and left the hall in a flash of cards.

Back to Resistance's HQ

"How do you know about Xenon?" Claudine demanded; her face flushed.

"I have my ways—"

"Don't tell me about how you have your ways!" Claudine shouted; she breathed deeply, and apologised. "I'm sorry. I—"

"He's still alive." Claudine stared. Her mouth opened agape—her eyes; usually cold as ice; wavered behind the mask.

"What did you—"

"Think, Claudine. About the time when Xenon went missing; it was about the time when the Black Wings had—"

"had set up their laboratory for Gelimer!" She stood up abruptly- the table rattled and a teacup dropped; smashing in to pieces.

"Of course… Why didn't I—" Claudine looked into Einna's eyes, her dark eyes wet. "I owe you, Lady Einna—"

"It's alright to be scared; to run away from the reality…" she murmured, looking back into Claudine's dark eyes. "I—"

"I did it too, you know? Running away from the reality… it feels better to face the sweet lie instead of facing the painful truth." Claudine again stared at Einna's eyes in complete blankness with her mouth opened agape-Einna smiled sadly, and stood up.

"Well, I should be going now—"

"Wait!" Claudine called out, and Einna turned around. "Where- where could I find Xenon? Would he still be at—"

"That's up to you to find out where he is…" she smiled again, and left the room; only to find Leo staring at her in pain.

"Leo—"

"Don't. Ever. Do that again." He muttered, pulling her towards him. He carried her bride-style; "Thank you for keeping her safe, Captain Claudine." Claudine nodded, her smile hidden behind her mask.

"I need to leave in this instant, unfortunately; the other heroes are looking for her, you see." He turned his attention to Einna in his arms-he asked, "Are you afraid of heights?"

"Huh? Yeah, but why—"

"Close your eyes and hold on tight."

"Wha….aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!?" Einna's question turned into a high pitch scream as Leo started to fly. She shut her eyes tight and clung on to Leo's shoulders for her dear life.

"E-Einnaaaaa…." Aran, with tears in her eyes, gave a hug to Einna; she flinched; but she raised her arm and patted Aran at the back.

"Welcome back, Einna." Mercedes smiled warmly.

"Queen Mercedes—"

"No need to address me that way! Do you want me to address you as Lady Einna like Leo does!?"

"N-No! I'm sorry Mercedes!" Einna hurriedly waved her hands; the others laughed at her response; except Phantom.

"I'm so sorry for causing such trouble—"

"At least you know, huh?" Phantom snapped. Everyone looked at him; but Phantom looked into Einna's eyes as if nothing mattered. Then, he left the hall without another word. Awkward silence fell. Aran started laughing; startling everyone. "Ahahahah…. Let's just party like crazy! We won't have much time if we're going to be on missions, right?" Einna stared at Aran blankly; she winked backed at Einna. "R-Right! Let's party—"

"L-Lady Einna!" Gaston rushed into the hall; his face pale. "Gaston? What's wrong—"

"Master Phantom! Where is he!?" Gaston asked; a white envelope in his hands. "There's-no, a dragon-an Onyx dragon appeared in Leafre; and it's destroying everything—" At that moment, Phantom entered the hall again, his face grim.

"Party's over, idiots. Let's go."

* * *

**A.N. I have now linked my facebook page in my profile- please go and like if you like the story 3 **

**I have been busy these days- and it might be quite hard for me to upload everyday sadly :c but i'll try writing as much as possible. :D**

**I wanted to have a Q & A session before I get REALLY busy- so if any of you have a question, please leave it as a review or PM me-**

**example of a question would be: how old are you, how tall are you, how did you get inspired; etc. **

**thanks again, and enjoy!**

**XPSAX**


	9. Chapter 8

**A.N. eww sorry late upload T/T **

**I've been very busy with my school works... Thank you to those who 'favourited' this fanfic- I love you guys. 3 **

**If you liked the stories, please please please, visit my profile and like the facebook page 3 **

**there aren't much likes cuz I just made it and my fanfic is pretty bad compared to the other skillful authors in this website T-T**

**but I would appreciate your likes~ Thank you again!**

* * *

"I thought the Onyx Dragons promised to keep peace with us!" Aran shouted as they ran towards the burning town.

"Obviously something's wrong." Phantom said, his cape waving behind him. Andy looked worried; but compared to him, Einna was looking calm as ever.

*GRAWWR* the howl of the dragon rang in their ears; and Andy's eyes widened. "Afrien?" he muttered to himself; Einna looked back at him, and smiled. "It's time for you to get some of your senses back, Master Freud." Andy's grey eyes dimmed; he staggered; and then—

"Einna! Andy! Get out of the way!" Evan shouted out as he shouted, "Lightning bolt!"

"Spikes Royale!" Mercedes jumped into the air; the legendary spears rained down from the sky, but the Dragon did not react; its scales were too hard to penetrate.

"Why are you using such low damage skills!?" Aran shouted at Evan as she muttered, "Maple Warrior." Phantom, teleporting amidst the swirling cards, high fived Aran; "Thanks for the buff, Aran!" he then head-butted into the Onyx Dragon.

"Tempest!" hurricane of cards whipped against the Dragon; but it didn't budge. "Death Scythe," Luminous, his red eye glowing fiery; he had an almost crazed smile on his face; he was enjoying the blood and the fight. "Apocalypse!" He shouted, laughing madly. "Demon Impact," Leo lashed his Sceptre fiercely; but they were all getting weary. And then—

"Get out of my way," Andy muttered; others stared at him if he was mental. He walked silently to the wild Dragon; his arms stretched towards it. The dragon looked into the boy; its eyes yellow as the molten gold. Its eyes narrowed; but Andy kept on walking, not caring. The dragon bowed its head; and Andy stopped, and touched the head of the Dragon—

"Purify."

* * *

"What the hell just happened?" Phantom said; his eyes wide. Andy breathed, staggering slightly. "I—"

"Do you remember who you are, Master Freud?" Einna asked, curtsying slightly.

"I—" he clutched his head and closed his eyes; he then opened his eyes—the fogs in his eyes disappeared, and hue of piercing grey showed itself. "Phantom—Mercedes—Aran—Luminous… how could I—" the back of his right hand glowed bright; where the intricate pattern, symbolising of the Spirit Pact between the Master and the dragon, was engraved. Mercedes covered her mouth with her hands; tears flowing. "Freud… is it really…" Andy; no, the reincarnated Freud, embraced her tightly. Mercedes broke down crying out loud. "Y-you idiot! I thought I'll never meet you… ever again…" she sobbed into Freud's chest, while he patted her back gently.

"And this dragon—" Phantom pointed, looking disdainfully at the now silent dragon.

"—is the last Onyx Dragon King, Afrien." Einna finished, smiling gently. She went near the huge dragon; and put her arms around its neck, closed her eyes and sighed.

"So he wasn't killed?" Phantom asked, still looking at Afrien. "No, the Black Mage's power has been drained too much because of the heroes; so he wasn't killed." Einna said, looking up.

"Instead, he was taken to the Black Wing's laboratory as an experiment—" Freud took over, explaining more.

"—explaining the reason why he was berserk just now. But Freud used Purify on him—"

"—which is why Afrien's back to normal." Freud finished Einna's sentence again, and grinned. Mercedes looked up at Freud, and looked back at Einna. Phantom pouted, and grumbled.

"Would you stop hugging each other? We need to go back and report this to Ereve."

"Jealous, Phantom? Just go date with Einna already—" Freud said casually—

"NO." Leo, Phantom and Einna said in unison. Aran cracked out laughing—Evan smiled awkwardly, and Phantom glared at Aran. Mercedes stopped Aran from laughing by shooting few magical arrows at her feet. She glanced at Einna's way uncertainly; Einna looked ahead as if nothing happened.

"Andy—I mean, Master Freud; you know that we have to go back to our world though, right?" Einna asked, clearly worried about how Mercedes would react. "I—" Mercedes looked at Freud sadly; but she nodded. "I understand." They said in unison; looked at each other, and said; "We understand."

* * *

"You probably are going to need a bigger room, Freud." Phantom told Freud as they teleported into Lumiere's main hall; Evan's eyes twinkled, and he asked, "Can I share a room with you, Master Freud?"

"Don't call me Master Freud, guys! I'm still used to the name Andy as well and it confuses me goddamit."Freud burst out laughing, not able to stop. "But I guess I'm going to ditch the name Andy and use Freud from now on—it is my original name, anyway." Aran, who was standing blankly, wrapped her arms around Evan, ruffling his hair.

"Wha—" Evan blushed and struggled to get out; but Aran was stronger. "Nice job today—I thought you would get scared, you know?"

"I was scared!" Evan, still struggling, shouted, startling Aran. "I was scared that I'll end up losing one of you guys…" Evan muttered at himself, his head lowered. Aran's eyes widened, and she shuddered. "None of us will die; you won't lose any of us." Aran stated forcefully, holding on to Evan's shoulders tightly. He stared back, his emerald eyes wavering unsteadily. "Understand?!" Aran shouted, shaking Evan roughly. "It hurts—Aran, let me go…" Einna put her hand on Aran's shoulder, and gently called Aran's name. Aran's head swivelled around, her eyes round with fear. Tears welled up in her bright azure eyes; Einna wrapped her arms around Aran; tiptoeing—and they left the hall in silence to Einna's room. Phantom cleared his throat loudly, and clapped his hands-Gaston rushed over, his face flushed.

"Y-yes?"

"Could you show Evan and Freud their room?" he asked casually, as he glared at Leo, who was talking with Mercedes. Gaston eyed Leo uncertainly, then hastily left, pushing Freud and Evan to upstairs. Phantom looked directly into Leo's eyes; Mercedes shifted in her seat uncomfortably—

"We need to talk," Phantom muttered at Leo. He nodded. Leo bowed slightly to Mercedes; she looked at the two young men in worry; "Phantom—"

"We'll figure this out by ourselves, Queen Mercedes." Leo murmured. Mercedes didn't look convinced; but she nodded and left the hall in hurry.

* * *

"Don't touch Einna." Phantom said, his penetrating violet eyes looking into the depths of crimson hue. Leo sighed, and asked, "Why should I? Aren't you only talking to her because she's the reincarnation of Empress Aria?" Phantom closed his eyes, and massaged his temple.

"I do not know what I'm feeling," he murmured; Leo's eyes widened. "Then why—"

"I have vowed that I'll never love anyone since Aria died. I'm not sure if the emotions inside me is love, or just a mere interest." He opened his eyes, and looked into Leo's eyes.

"But I'm begging you. Give me time until I get to figure out what I really am feeling." Phantom, the Master of Thieves—kneeled in front of Leo, throwing his pride aside. Leo looked at Phantom for few moments, his face expressionless. Then he sighed, and extended his hand to Phantom.

"Get up, King of the Thieves—" he pulled Phantom's hand roughly, making him stand.

"I understand what you're talking about. The way you threw your pride away to ask me those stuff; I respect you." Phantom looked up, his eyes wide.

"However," Leo continued, ignoring Phantom's wide eyes— "it will be Lady Einna who choose one of us. Don't get furious for Lady Einna's choice. Understand?"

"Understood." The two young men looked at each other, and shook their hands.

* * *

"Aran, look at me." Einna shook Aran's shoulder gently; Aran blinked, and looked into Einna's eyes. "You're not going to lose anyone. Get it? I'll be here. All of us will be here for you. We won't let what happened last time. Do you get it?" Aran stared into Einna's eyes, her bright azure eyes now dimmed and foggy.

"I—" Aran choked on her words, shuddering. "I'm scared, Einna."

"I know," Einna murmured gently. "I know."

"I try to run away from the reality, but it's always the same. My dreams are always nightmares, I see people dying on me." Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill.

"You won't have any more nightmares from now on." Einna said, patting Aran's back soothingly. "Sommeil Chaud." She murmured; Aran's flowing tears stopped, replaced by a soft smile. "Sweet dreams, Aran…" Einna whispered softly, putting a warm blanket around her. She left the room smiling.

* * *

"Mercedes," Einna called out, startling Mercedes. "Einna-"

"Worried about Leo, right?"

"….Yeah."

"Follow what your heart, Mercedes. It's time for you to be normal at least this time- you can become a queen later." Mercedes nodded, smiling softly.

"I'm glad that we have you, Lady Einna;"

"Me too, Queen Mercedes." They looked at each other, and smiled brightly. Golden sunlight shone upon their face, giving them an angelic halo…

* * *

Leo looked up in the sky as the sun set over the horizon. He was so high up in the air; he could almost touch the clouds. He closed his eyes and thought of his past as the sky darkened.

* * *

Houses burned around him; he was with his mother and his younger sister; but no one was there to help Leo's family. He was an outsider, half demon and half human; the others did not want to help. "Help us…" he tried to shout, but his voice came out as a bare whisper; his mother and Demia was losing conscious; they were exhausted. And then a tall man with pale skin, blonde hair towered over them; looking shocked. "Queen Mercedes! There are few survivors out here!" he shouted; his deep voice rang in the air. A young girl, also with pale face and blonde hair- slightly tinted with green, came over, looking worried. They didn't smell the way demons did; they were Elves, the enemies of the Demons.

"Stay away," Leo growled; his eyes glowed in response, too.

"I'm not here to hurt you—"

"LIAR!" he shouted; his voice startled the young girl. She sighed, and took something out from her bag; tinkling of the crystal bottles harmonised, soothing Leo.

"Here," the girl passed the crystal bottles to Leo; his eyes widened.

"Why—"

"They look sick. These are potions made from the herbs from Elluel, so it's going to work pretty fast. But don't let the others steal it, kay?" she smiled softly; Leo's heart thumped, and his face flushed. "I'm sorry I can't help you any more—" she spoke rapidly, looking around. "—I need to go back to help the others, too. Make sure you survive, though—if you die my potions would be wasted." Leo, staring into the girl's azure eyes with uncertainty, nodded.

"FALL BACK!" she called out, her young voice full of authority. Leo left the Elves leave, and rushed to his family. He hastily uncorked the crystal bottles and sprinkled on the wounds of her mother and sister; the wounds began to close, and they sighed. Leo, relieved, woke them up and led them to another region where they would be safe. He could never forget the young Elf-but as the time went on, her face faded away from his memory…

* * *

"Leo?" a soft voice startled him, interrupting his reminiscence. "Did I interrupt you?" it was Einna again, her raven-black hair swirling around her. "No, you didn't, Lady Einna—"

"Call me Lady Einna again and I'm never going to talk to you." She muttered, frowning. Leo flinched, and cleared his throat. "It's hard not to use formal languages for me, La—" Einna shot him a look, and Leo looked away, again clearing his throat loudly.

"I… guess I'll call you Einna from now on, then…" he muttered. Einna smiled happily, then sighed.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked, worried.

"I'm just… wondering why Phantom and you are being so… hostile to each other." Leo stared at her as if she was crazy; it was quite obvious to the others that the two young men were fighting over her, yet she herself did not realise. Leo turned his gaze away from her; being interested in one of the most clueless girls in the world, was annoying. But it made her desirable. He didn't want to lose her; her purity, naïve but also courageous personality interested him.

"You'll see why someday…" Leo murmured, looking at Einna tenderly. Einna, puzzled, looked back at him; Leo, his usual expressionless mask now gone, smiled warmly at Einna. She looked back at him with curiosity; her cat-like eyes twinkling. "You should go rest, Einna." He said, again, smiling.

"You're…. smiling…." Einna said, shocked.

"Hmm?" Leo asked—he touched his face lightly with his fingertips; and indeed, he was smiling. His eyes widened, and he whispered to himself, "I can… smile…?"

"Leo?" Einna tapped his shoulder gently, looking worried.

"Thank you, Einna." Leo muttered; he held her waist and spun her around.

"Leo—?!" she screamed—but was soon stopped by Leo's light kiss. He flew high up in the air; Einna closed her eyes and hung on tight. "Look up, Princess." Leo murmured gently; Einna opened her eyes slowly—

"It's… so pretty…" They were so high up in the air; the clouds encircled Leo and Einna, glowing silver from the moonlight.

"I owe you so much, Einna." Leo spoke, as he flew through the night sky; weaving in and out between the silvery, soft cloud walls. Einna, enchanted, forgot about her fear of heights; and stared at the beautiful view.

"We better head back," Einna whispered; her eyes misty. Leo nodded and went down to the balcony of Lumiere; he lowered Einna gently on to the ground. She curtsied slightly, smiling softly. "Thank you for the view; and good night." Leo bowed back, smiling softly, as well. He watched as Einna left the balcony; still smiling.

* * *

When Einna went in the main hall of Lumiere, she spotted a dark silhouette on the sofa; she went near the couch, cautious.

'…!' it was Phantom, the master of this ship. 'Why is he sleeping here…?' she wondered silently, and continued to stare at Phantom's beautiful face. She knelt down, and continued to study his face. He was perfect in every way, his face like a carved statue—Einna's lips trembled, and tears fell from her eyes, her gentle, kind feature now stained with pain and loneliness.

"I'm… sorry… I'm sorry, Phantom…" her barely audible whisper faded in the cold night air; she brushed Phantom's golden locks out of his eyes, her eyes red. She stood back up, and turned to left; then—

*grab*

"Sorry about what?"


	10. Chapter 9

**A.N. sorry for late upload- i hate grade 11. ;w; **

**I've written quite a lot this time to make up for the late upload :c **

**I will try to upload as frequent as I can, but it's going to be pre-tty hard when exam block's coming up. ;w; **

**and I was wondering... would you guys like more adventure in my fiction or romance? **

**Leave a review and I will reply ^^**

**Thanks guys! :D **

* * *

"Ph-Phantom!?" Einna whispered in shock; her eyes still red and her cheeks still stained with her tears, she looked into Phantom's eyes. He looked angry- almost… pained. He sat up, not releasing his grasp on Einna's wrist.

"Why can't you be more true to yourself?!" he shouted, loud enough to wake the others in the room. But he didn't care. Lumiere was fully soundproofed—no one would be able to hear a thing. "Why do you have to be so much like Aria, confusing me like this?!" he continued to scream; all his emotions that he kept to himself, now released. Einna didn't say anything; her pupils, wet and dilated; wavered.

"I—"

"Can't you at least, at least give me a chance? Why are you pushing me away?!" Phantom's violet eyes; now rimmed with red; wavered. His angry tone was now almost pleading; Einna looked away, her eyes welling up in tears again.

"…"

"Answer me! Please! Why are you hiding? Why are you lying?" he stood up, towering over Einna. "What have I done wrong to make you hide from me? Do you truly think that I'm only interested in you because you're the reincarnation of Aria?!"

"I—"

"SHE'S GONE! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!" Phantom shouted, blinking back tears. "SHE'S GONE, AND I'M ONLY THINKING OF YOU, NO ONE ELSE!" Einna's eyes widened. She turned her gaze to Phantom's face; his beautiful face now stained with pain and loneliness. "I want to hear your voice, I want to hear you say my name, I want you to realise how I feel. I really wish that I can understand how you feel, read your mind-but you're too hard to read. I can't hear your voice nor read your mind." his shout, now ceased to a barely audible whisper, escaped his mouth.

"…How much have you been through to make you like this…?" Phantom murmured, reaching his hand to Einna's cheek. Her eyes again widened. The tears that she fought against flooded onto her cheek, silently flowing. Phantom touched her cheek gently; he kissed her cheek where the tears were still flowing. Phantom smiled, relief spreading on his mind.

'She's finally opening her heart…'

"You said you can't hear my voice-what I think…" Einna breathed out, choking on her silent sobs.

"…I can hear your voice now…" Phantom murmured gently, kissing right under her left eye. "I'm sorry, I should've paid attention to your voice sooner…" he embraced Einna warmly; Einna did not return the embrace; she stood still, tears still flowing, shocked. Then, more tears started to fall; she looked down, crying silently.

"It's alright, you can cry as loud as you want here…" Phantom patted her back gently. She trembled and started crying out loud; Phantom smiled sadly, still patting her back. She buried her face into Phantom's chest, and clung on to his back, embracing him back. They stayed like that, embracing each other; and the night deepened as Phantom and Einna's bond deepened.

* * *

Mercedes couldn't sleep. She had so many things on her mind. With Phantom and Leo fighting over Einna, things looked pretty tense. "I wonder if he remembers me…?" Mercedes murmured. She still remembered the day when she saved a half demon boy and his family.

* * *

"Ugh… stupid headache…" Einna woke up, feeling grumpy. She felt something heavy on her laps—

"Wha— What are you doing—!?" Einna screamed in horror as she watched Phantom wake from his sleep.

"You fainted while you were crying your heart out… and I decided to stay by your side-" he noticed Einna's horrified face, and flushed. "I didn't sleep in your bed! See!? I'm sitting on the stool! I must've dozed off…"

"Ju-Just 'cause I cried in front of you doesn't mean I like you! Don't take me wrong, but I still don't like you, so don't get any wrong ideas!" she spoke rapidly- Phantom stared at her as if she was a cute toy to play around with.

*pat* "Alright, alright, I get it—so don't get angry at me, kay?" he smiled warmly at Einna, patting her head. She flushed, but didn't resist. "Time for you to get changed, Princess. I'll go out, so come outside when you finish getting changed." He said, and exited the room. Einna looked at him go out of the room; she sat back on her bed, her face bright red.

"This is not happening…"

* * *

"Lady Einna!" Gaston rushed into Einna's room- "Lady—" he stopped in his tracks as he realised what Einna was wearing.

"Isn't that…" intricate light blue patterns were sewed into a pure white robe; the holy symbol of Shinsoo graved on her shawl. Einna was a goddess, an—

"Empress." Gaston and Einna swivelled around. "Empress Aria's clothing." Phantom appeared at the door, looking stunned himself.

"This is too much, Phantom-I can't wear this—"

"I'm giving everything to you, Einna. I'm not going to cling on to the past; Aria is gone. Gone means gone. But you came in her place. And you're more than worthy." He crossed the room to face Einna; he planted a light kiss on her forehead, surprising both Einna and Gaston.

"Ma-Master!"

"Shut up, Gaston—just close the door already." Phantom grinned and murmured playfully; Einna blushed all over; she pushed Phantom away, and turned around.

"I-If you keep on doing that, I'm not going to talk to you!" she stuttered. Phantom looked at Gaston and shrugged, still grinning. "Now get out so I can get changed into my normal clothes—" her protests were ignored by Phantom; he carried her bridal-style, ignoring her screams and struggles.

"Let's show the others how good you look with the Empress' robes." He kicked the door open; the people at the main hall stared at Phantom and Einna in shock; their mouth agape.

"Empress Aria!?" Mercedes, Aran, Freud and Luminous exclaimed; for a moment, Freud's usual confident smile was gone; Andy's blank expression kicked into action, making him look like a normal boy rather than a hero.

"L-Let me go!" Einna screamed; her face flushed. Leo looked shocked; he met Einna's gaze-but he merely smiled, clenching his hands into tight fists. His chest ached- he couldn't breathe; he was once again, alone. Mercedes noticed Leo's paleness on his face; she anxiously glanced back at Einna and Leo; Phantom was clearly enjoying this situation-he was grinning playfully, teasing Einna.

"Hey, Phantom, it's not time to act like two lovebirds with Einna- let's see if we can do anything." Mercedes said, as she continued to glance at Leo uneasily. She couldn't take the awkwardness of the situation anymore—she grabbed Leo's hand and dragged him out of the main hall, saying "I think Leo's feeling sick!"

* * *

"Are you alright?" Mercedes asked, as Leo sat down on the chair at the balcony.

"Yeah, I'm fine—"

"Stop lying." Mercedes turned back, her eyes glowing with anger. "You're same as before; hiding your feelings, cautious." Leo's eyes widened; he opened his mouth.

"Do you—"

"Yes, I remember you. I still remember the day when I saved the young half demon boy and his family's lives. " Mercedes cut off, looking into Leo's eyes. "and I'm glad that you survived; except you became our enemy. At least you're not one of them now." Her normal 'Queen's dignity' now gone, she pouted her lips, looking pretty… pissed.

"Wha-Why are you getting mad at me—"

"It's so annoying to watch you and Phantom fuss over Einna goddamit!" Mercedes covered her mouth with her hands after she bursted out saying what she was thinking about the whole time. Leo's face flushed, looking very awkward.

"Is it obvious…?" he asked, then shook his head. "No, I lose. Phantom suits Lady Einna better—"

"If you call her Lady Einna, I'm going to tell Einna, you know?" Mercedes smiled; Leo's face flushed once again.

"Please don't—"

"—and I can see that you got some of your smiles back, Leo." She smiled kindly—she tiptoed and ruffled Leo's hair. "It's good to see you like that." Leo stared into Mercedes' azure eyes; she smiled, and straightened up. "You can't keep on getting jealous of Phantom. Try to ignore them." She murmured as she left the balcony silently. Leo stared up to the sky, his face expression blank. Then he raised his hand up and touched his ruffled hair-warm feelings rose from his chest, and he smiled softly.

* * *

"You still haven't told me what you're sorry about, you know." Phantom nudged Einna, while she read a book.

"Would you just shut up and let me read my book?" Einna shot back, frowning.

"It's no use if you try to hide it, you know—" Phantom whispered near her ear; "I can hear your voice." Einna whipped her head around; she opened her mouth, her face flushed—

"Liar," he murmured softly, her lips only few inches away from her lips. "What you were going to say, right?" her mouths closed; she opened to say something else again, but Phantom stopped her from speaking by planting a light kiss on her.

"-!?"

"I'll go out so you can concentrate on your reading, Princess!" Phantom said playfully; and exited the room. He leaned against the closed door, and massaged his temple.

"Why are you… why do you have to be so scared, Einna…?" he murmured, closing his eyes. He wanted Einna to open her heart; to let others to warm and melt her frozen heart. But she was still afraid-like a stray cat. He wanted to heal her; but she still wouldn't open her heart. And time was running out. Who knows? One of them could get killed from all the war, like Aria did.

'Don't think about it, Phantom-you're the King of the Thieves-You'll do well.' Phantom tried to convince himself; but the anxious feeling did not go away. He sighed, and stared up into the ceiling of Lumiere, decorated with intricate patterns, with the images of the Heroes and the Empress…

* * *

"Mercedes! Could you—" Einna ran towards Mercedes, panting. "I was wondering if you could teach me some things—" Mercedes looked at Einna as if she was crazy. "You're only a mere human; you're no hero. You'll end up losing your life if you try to join our fight-"

"That's why I'm asking you to teach me." Her eyes glowed softly; she smiled. "I'm not going to let any of you to sacrifice forme-that's why I want to learn to protect myself." Mercedes shook her head gently. "You don't have to—"

"I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO GET HURT INSTEAD OF ME!" Einna screamed, her usual neutral face expression now stained with loneliness and pain. Mercedes' eyes widened in shock. "I've had enough… of watching people get hurt…" Einna whispered, her eyes tinged with red.

"I'm sorry… but please… let me learn. I don't want to be alone anymore…" Mercedes hesitated; but she nodded, and held Einna's hands tenderly.

"I don't know what you've been through, but you should tell us more… about yourself, and what happened to you."

"But—"

"We're one family. Family don't keep things to themselves and get hurt. We communicate. We share. So believe in us, Einna." Einna hesitated. She opened her mouth as if to say something; but stopped herself- she smiled softly at Mercedes, and nodded.

"Thanks for your help, Mercedes…" Mercedes smiled back, with a hint of anxiousness on her face; but she patted Einna's head gently, and stood up.

"When should we start training you, Lady Einna?" she grinned playfully- Einna's eyes widened, and she smiled happily.

"Whenever you feel like training me, Queen Mercedes!" They looked at each other, and giggled. The friendship between the Queen of Elves and the reincarnation of the Empress deepened.

* * *

"Ice Breath!" Evan shouted as he dodged Freud's basic attacks.

"Getting better, little dragon master… but you still have lots to catch up!" Freud jumped; he grabbed on to Afrien's back and shouted, "Ice Breath!" The two dragon masters used the same skills; but Freud's were more powerful, more impenetrable. Compared to Freud's level of magic, Evan had lots to catch up.

"Ugh—Magic Flare!"

"Dragon Blink. Magic Shield." Evan's attacks were dodged by Freud very easily; he yawned. Evan's eyes widened in shock; his eyes then started to glow with enthusiasm.

"Dragon Blink." Evan muttered; he teleported behind Freud- but Freud didn't even flinch. Instead, he teleported further away from Evan.

"Let's see how you will react to this, Evan. Ice Breath." Shower of ice materialised; and then—

"Fire Breath!" Evan countered Freud's spell with another skill. Freud raised his eyebrow.

"Hmm? Not bad, not bad…"

"I am your descendant, after all."

"Well that's confronting."

"Hey!" Freud looked at Evan; Evan flinched. Freud grinned widely and ruffled Evan's usually-messy hair.

"Just kidding. I can't believe I'm your ancestor… goddamn. Now I feel really old."

"You are—"

"Earthquake." Freud smiled sweetly and casted a spell which shook the ground like crazy; Evan laughed, and hopped on to Mir's back. "I'm just kidding, geez!"

"You're lucky I'm on your side, Evan…" Freud commented, smiling coldly. Then his expression brightened, and he pulled Evan's hand.

"Hey, did you hear? Mercedes and Einna is going to train as well! I wonder how they're going to train…" Evan struggled in Freud's grasp, but Freud was stronger; he dragged Evan from the room and led him to the lowest level of Lumiere- where the sounds of explosions were echoing.

* * *

"I never thought I would ever give my skills to a mere human—"

"I am no ordinary human, Queen of Elves." Two young ladies stood in the arena; training as hard as they could. Mercedes fired a round of arrows in the wall; the magical arrows penetrated the wall and disappeared; leaving no damage.

"Just because you're a human doesn't mean I will let you go easily; I will train you to my fullest, Einna. I promise that in Queen Mercedes' name." Mercedes jumped as she spoke— "LEAP TORNADO!" hail of arrows materialised in the air and shot down. Einna tumbled out of the hail of arrows' way; she smiled.

"Piercing Storm." Shower of magical arrows fired from the dual bow guns that Einna was holding; Mercedes dodged them easily.

"Unicorn Spike, Lightning Edge!" Mercedes shouted, as scared unicorns dashed towards Einna. Evan, Aran, Freud, Leo and Phantom, who were watching their fight silently, looked shocked; it had been only 3 days since Mercedes started to teach Einna, and she could already perform up to second advancement skills. Einna dodged the unicorns by jumping high in the air; and she called out, "Leap Tornado!" Mercedes scoffed and moved aside, leisurely dodging the hail of arrows. But Einna didn't stop.

"Rising Rush!" Mercedes again dodged; and then—

"Aerial Barrage!" Einna attacked, catching Mercedes off-guard. Sound of explosion echoed; then silence. Two silhouettes merged in the midst of swirling dusts.

"Not bad, Empress."

"I told you so, Queen Mercedes." Two goddesses stood, their clothes tattered here and there, covered in sweat and dust. They smiled at each other, and shook their hands. Then they turned to face the others; and they said in unison,

"What are you looking at?" The others flinched; looking quite… scared. Then one by one, they began to exit the arena, whispering silently to themselves.

"I never knew that girls could be that scary…"

"You haven't even seen everything yet, Evan… You should see when Mercedes gets—"

"Huh~? Did I hear my name, Freud?!"

"No! Nothing!" Einna smiled softly to herself as Freud and Mercedes began to bicker at each other.

'Please… don't let them sacrifice themselves in my place…' she thought silently, as she started to feel uneasy at heart…

* * *

**A.N. thanks to all those who reads my fiction w **

**i will give you guys a virtual hug 3 **

**over and out! **

**XPSAX**


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